I think Stewart realized the futility of his efforts at the end. Sad because he actually seemed to be trying to make a point and they kept tryin to talk over him and bash him. But I guess that's the point of shows like Crossfire.

I think he went a bit overboard though, basically calling the bow tie wearing guy a dick.

Well, he is, isn't he? It's amazing how far TV journalism has fallen with the advent of Fox News. I'm not blaming Fox News, perse, but IMO, they represent the worst(O'Reilly, Hannity & Colmes, etc.) and unfortunately, the other cable news networks seem to follow suit in order to stay competitive. In the end, though, it's hard to argue with the strategy since it seems to be what the people want, ratings seem to be up across the board.

I watched it in a state of near-euphoria. For guys that always seem to have something to say, Begala and Carlson looked like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights.

I think at first Begala and Carlson thought he was just goofing on them and would let it go. To Stewart's great credit, he stuck to his guns...even once it appeared that any substantive discussion about Crossfire itself was a pipe dream.

Perhaps my favorite part occurred as they were heading to commercial at the end of the interview. You could hear Stewart say in his classically sarcastic style: "Well, that went well." :lol:

They invited him expecting an easy target to make them feel good about themselves as a show that can ask the hard questions. But like he said, when you have to criticize the journalistic standards of a fake news show whose lead-in is puppet crank calls, what does that say about you? For what it's worth, I think Jon Stewart is one of the best interviewers out there today, Kerry interview regardless, and certainly more insightful and relevant than Crossfire's hosts.

The Crossfire guys deserved every second of his haranguing, and especially the audience applause at his criticism (which I don't think they expected at all, and seemed to throw them off).

Well, I would argue that for the amount that Stewart attacks others for tossing softball questions at times, he could indeed throw a few harder ones. He tries on occasion, but since he is going for a feel-good vibe it usually doesn't go very far. I realize of course that it's not really his role to do that, but I could still hope sometimes. I think he does do a better job than much of the media even when asking silly questions though, and at least even though he is semi-partisan he does mock both sides when apprpriate. I agree with Jon's basic point, and I felt the reference to spin alley was very good. And yes, the guy with a bow tie is a dick.

(P.S. Jon Stewart was my graduation speaker in the spring (he's an alum from William and Mary), so boo-yah. Here's the address)

I don't think Jon Stewart cares if he is looked at as being all for the dems or not.

Obviously he is a Kerry voter. He has said so.

Obviously he isn't a Bush fan. He points that out as well.

But he doesn't let this become part of his show. I see the pundits on the right try to spin his critizisms Bush into being a pundit himself, but it is all about who is in office.

If Kerry were to win this election, we will see him ripped as well. Kerry's administration may not be as easy a target, but I am sure they will find things.

If anything, if the Daily Show really wanted to put a nudge on this election, they would push more towards Bush. After Bush is gone, the golden age of the Daily Show will be over. Bush helps make that show what it is.

I love Jon Stewart and The Daily Show. People who watch the show know he has been pretty hard on Kerry's ambiguous platform and the whole Purple Heart thing. Not as hard as he is on Bush, but he is a Democrat after all.

I totally agree with Stewart's assertion that shows like Crossfire are not about debate and are about theater pretending to be debate. My father watches Crossfire and Hannity and Colmes on Fox and whenever I try to sit down and watch with him, I get a headache because all I see are a bunch of obnoxious "hosts" with pre-conceived agendas ambushing their guests and never letting them express their points.

Bravo to Stewart for doing what he did. Although he looked pretty depressed towards the end when he relized the two bozos only wanted him as their monkey boy.